Our Belize vacation had an ugly start in that we lost almost 2 days of our vacation thanks to flight woes. As a result, we had lovely overnight stays in two cities before our butts finally landed on Belizean soil (and then got our tuna confiscated by the customs officer). Vacations don’t always run as planned, but you just work things out as best you can, and here’s how we worked out our remaining 13 days in Belize.
Where We Went / What We Did

day 1
This post includes:
- Getting our tuna confiscated at the airport
- A quickie tour of San Pedro from the back of a golf cart
- Beachside dinner at Nook Restaurant and Cocktail Bartique
- Dessert at a quirky little frozen custard shop
- Settling in at our Airbnb: Casa Ashley
day 2
This post includes:
- Breakfast at the one place open on Xmas morning
- Getting fed an unexpected Xmas lunch at the rental car agency – thanks ladies!
- Driving from Belize City to San Ignacio to Latinized Xmas music on the radio
- Visiting Mayan ruins: Xunantunich and Cahal Pech
- A meh dinner experience that should have been awesome
- Settling in at our Airbnb: The Garden House
day 3
This post includes:
- Experiencing the border crossing in and out of Guatemala
- A long day tour to visit Tikal
- Another disappointing dinner – what can I say? Slim pickings during the holidays… 🙁
day 4
This post includes:
- Finally getting a decent meal in San Ignacio
- A quick exploration of San Ignacio and getting some proper papaya!
- Unintentional 4×4-ing on some overgrown trail and getting my legs cut up – thanks Google Maps!
- Visiting several little getaway spots in the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve
- A light at the end of the tunnel – dinner at (I swear!) the only place open in Belmopan
- No light at the end of the tunnel – settling at our next lodgings: the rustic Maya Guide Adventures & Jungle Lodge (no electricity or hot water – and no, we weren’t camping)
day 5
This post includes:
- A fun half-day zipline tour in the jungle
- A not-quite-as-fun cave tubing tour
day 6
This post includes:
- A cave kayaking trip that was awesome despite (or in spite of) being riddled with mini-fails. Video included!
- A yummy dinner at a fancy restaurant in one of Belize’s posh lodgings